WeatherCat Client won't connect

[Dryside]

I can't get the WeatherCat Client or the iOS to connect.  Has connected sometimes in the past.  In preferences I have the Server checked and have restarted everything.  My Macs are connected by way of Ethernet to an Apple Airport. 

Any Suggestion as to what might me the issue?

[Blicj11]

The WC Client requires you to have forwarded ports 19250-49254. When you first startup WeatherCat, you should see a line similar to this in the log:

1/17/15 5:52:01.428 PM WeatherCat[14729]: WeatherCat server is starting - running on port 49250

If you haven't forwarded the ports, the Client will not work. If you have forwarded them, but you are not seeing the log reflect the message above, you need to reboot your router.

[Dryside]

This should not be necessary if just using Local according to documents.  I understand the porting forward is only need for internet. 

How does one forward the ports for Apple Airport Extreme.

I just noticed everything is working again.  After sending this once I restarted WeatherCat to see if ports were being forwarded, they were not, and I also opened up Airport utility to see how to forward the ports but didn't see how so would still like to know that.

Just noticed that port 49250 is running.  Why would thing seem to work one time then not another?

Ken

[Blicj11]

How does one forward the ports for Apple Airport Extreme.

This is explained in the Wiki. Should be similar to the setup for Time Capsule:

http://wiki.trixology.com/index.php/Apple_Airport_Time_Capsule_802.11ac_Port_Forwarding

[WxOwl]

Ken
I have had this problem on several occasions. Sometimes after an unplanned shut down due to a power failure, but also when restarting WC otherwise. I would be unable to connect local clients or via internet.
A fresh WeatherCat restart seems to clear the problem. I usually also power down and restart the Mac just to clear any other left-over junk.

Regards,
David

[Dryside]

I actually did what you suggested yesterday and it didn't work yesterday.  Just started working again today for some reason.

[Blicj11]

Glad to hear it is working again. I don't know how common this is, but every once in a while, when I restart WeatherCat, it does not bind to the forwarded port and the client does not work. Simply restarting the Cat again seems to fix it. However, every once in a great while, I have had to restart my router in order to re-establish the port forwarding settings.

[ELO]

I am continuing to have this same issue whereby I cannot access WC (most recent version) over the internet. I have the port forwarded in my Airport router and had no problem with either the WC client app or the iOS Apps prior to WC version 2. A restart of WC or the host mac generally clears the issue - for a bit; maybe a few days or a week. Then it fails again without having lost power, restarted the mac or WC or anything else I can identify.

Is anyone else seeing this on an ongoing basis?

Rick

[Blicj11]

Rick:

I haven't seen this issue and I run the WC Client on one of my computers 24/7. I also connect several times a day with the iOS clients (iPhone and iPad).

When you restart WC, are you seeing this line in the WeatherCat log:

1/30/15 12:54:37.317 AM WeatherCat[23204]: WeatherCat server is starting - running on port 49250

This appears just before you get the message that WeatherCat is running.

If you don't see it, the client server is not running.

Sounds like you are seeing it, but it stops working after a while. Have you powered down your router and let it sit for 60 seconds and then powered it back up?

[ELO]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm currently at a remote location but am able to access my home mac mini running WC. I again quit/relaunched WC. I do see the "running on port 49250" log entry and am again now able to access WC via the internet through the iOS and Mac clients. That suggests my router is not the issue or I would think I wouldn?t be able to cure the issue with a simple WC only restart.

I'll try to monitor WC more closely with the clients and see if I can find a log entry when the WC Server disconnects again.

Rick

[Blicj11]

Rick:

I don't know why this happens, but at least 1/3 of the time that I restart WeatherCat, I get the WC log message that WeatherCat is unable to bind to any port in that range. When that happens none of the Clients will work. So I am pretty careful to watch the log at startup. If it doesn't bind, I simply stop the Cat and restart. It almost always binds the second time. A couple of times over a 6-month period, I actually had to restart my router in order for WC to bind to the client port.

Your idea of trying to see if you get a log entry at disconnect is the best approach. Keep us posted if you learn anything.